“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”

Think back to when you first started researching your family history. Is there a memorable early genealogy moment that stands out in your mind? Describe this event or discovery and how it impacted your research going forward.

Many years ago, not long after I got my first computer and barely knew how to fire it up, genealogy had only recently begun to cloud my thoughts and destroy my sleep patterns and social life. One day, while surfing the net, I came across Ancestry.com and a free 7-day membership, which I immediately signed up for.

Now what? Apparently, Ancestry was not gonna just serve me up a documented list of my ancestors all the way back to the Three Wise Men. I would have to search for them!

Well, fortunately for me and all my soon-to-be no longer long-lost kinfolk, my oldest daughter Sarah was hanging over my shoulder that day, impatiently waiting to use my shiny new computer.

As I stared blankly at the computer screen, Sarah rather rudely barked out, “Here, give me a name. Let me show you how to do this!”

The name of my grandfather Vic Hall popped into my head and out of my mouth. Sarah ungraciously shoved me out of the way and began typing with electrifying speed (don’t you just hate people who can type fast, without even looking at the keys?)!

A screen with several Victor Halls appeared…

I continued to stare blankly…

Sarah: “When was he born?”

Me: “I don’t know.”

Sarah: “Where was he born?”

Me: “I don’t know?”

Sarah: “What were his parents’ names?”

Me: “I don’t know.”

Sarah: “What do you know?”

Me: (silence)

Sarah: “What was your grandmother’s name?”

Me: “I KNOW! I KNOW! I KNOW! It was Agnes!”

With fire dancing at her fingertips and smoke pouring from her nostrils, Sarah typed in “Agnes” as the first name of Vic’s wife…

***

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy by Amy Coffin is a series of weekly blogging prompts (one for each week of 2012) that invite genealogists and others to discuss resources in the genealogy community including websites, applications, libraries, archives, genealogical societies and more. You do not have to be a blogger to participate. If you do not have a genealogy blog, write down your thoughts on your computer, or simply record them on paper and keep them with your files.